Even After Death

Chapter 10

Olivia stayed before the grave for quite some time before leaving. She did not have time to wallow in sorrow for too long. She had an investigation to carry out now that she had the photo.

Most of the women her dad was in touch with worked in his company, so it was natural that Olivia started from there. But just as she started to search for a way to contact them, her phone started ringing.

It was one of the children from the countryside whose education her father had sponsored back then. His voice was rather anxious.

“Ms. Fordham, I just returned from overseas and heard that Mr. Fordham is gravely ill. Is he alright?”

“Thanks for your concern. My father’s still getting treatment at the hospital.”

“Gosh! How could someone as kind as him get into such a situation? If it wasn’t for him sponsoring our studies years back, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

A thought flashed across Olivia’s mind. In the past, her father had helped children in the countryside to move to the city for their studies, so Leia could have known him since she was abducted and taken to the countryside.

“Ryan, do you know those who were sponsored by my father?”

“I’ve been helping Mr. Fordham contact them all along. I know most of them, but I’ve lost contact with them after going abroad for the past few years. Is there anything I can help you with, Ms. Fordham? I’ll do everything in my power to help you.”

Olivia felt as though she just found herself a sliver of hope. Immediately, she told him, “I have a picture with me. Can you see if she’s one of the students my father sponsored before?”

“Sure thing, Ms. Fordham.”

In just half an hour after sending him the picture, Ryan had sent Olivia the information she wanted. The girl in the picture he sent had bright eyes that were similar to Leia and Ethan.

Her name was Jodie, and she came from a poor family. Olivia’s father had sponsored her education 12 years ago. She had been a brilliant student from a young age and managed to get a spot in many of the top universities in the nation, so she chose to further her studies in the country.

Perhaps this was the person Olivia was looking for. In a hurry, she asked Ryan to meet up with her in a cafe.

Ryan arrived on time. This was the first time in ten years that Olivia met him in person. Back then, he was still a bashful boy, very unlike the smart-looking man in a suit who was the president of his own company sitting before her.

Even though the Fordhams had fallen into bankruptcy, he still addressed her courteously. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Fordham.”

“I’ve only just arrived. I won’t beat around the bush. Are you still in contact with Jodie?”

“I used to be. I seldom contacted my friends in the country when I stayed overseas. We haven’t talked in at least two years.”

“Do you know how she’s doing these days?”

“I’ve only just returned a few days ago. I wouldn’t have known about your family’s situation if it weren’t for my friends. Jodie and I aren’t close, though. At most, I only contacted the others because of Mr. Fordham.”

Ryan took a sip from the cup of coffee and cleared his throat. “But since you requested it, I tried asking around in her circle. Sadly, she’s dead. What a shame. Her grades were excellent, and she would’ve had a bright future ahead of her if she were alive.”

“How did she die?”

“I’m not sure of the cause of her death, but I heard that she was fished out of the sea.”

Olivia frowned, her forehead wrinkling. Not only did she not find the answers she was looking for, but more questions also began to come up.

Leia was kidnapped when she was almost six years old, so she should have remembered what had happened to her.

If her father had sponsored her studies, why didn’t she ask for help?

Why did she not return to the Millers when she came to the city?

Besides, what did Olivia’s father have to do with Jodie’s death?

“Was my father kind to her?” Olivia asked tentatively.

“Jodie came from a poor background and was orphaned at a young age. She scored well in her exams and made her way into the city all alone. Mr. Fordham was very kind to her. I heard that she was rather reserved and was ostracized by her roommates, so Mr. Fordham rented her a small apartment so that she could excel in her studies,” Ryan explained.

Then, he set his cup down and asked, “Why are you so curious about her?”

“I just want to find out the cause of her death so that she wouldn’t die in vain,” Olivia explained.

She had planned to leave this world peacefully after getting ten million from her divorce to settle her funeral. Now, she had something else in mind. She wanted to clear her father’s name and take revenge for her family.

Even if Ethan refused to tell her the truth, she would find it out herself.

Ryan looked as if he suddenly recalled something. He took out a name card from his wallet and passed it to Olivia. “One of my friends is a renowned private detective. He could be of help if you wish to find out about anything.”

“Thank you, Ryan.”

“No worries. I know Jodie, and I wish for her to go peacefully too. I’ll be staying in the country for some time, so just message me if you need anything. I have a meeting soon, so I’ll be taking my leave.”

“See you later.” After seeing him off, Olivia called the private detective and sent the information she got over to him. Presently, she was in high spirits.

When she arrived at the hospital, Dr. Freeman called her to his office. Olivia had an ominous feeling about this. Anxiously, she asked, “How’s my father’s condition? When can he wake up?”

“Ms. Fordham, you need to be mentally prepared. Even though Mr. Fordham’s surgery was a success, he hit his head during the car crash, which triggered an aftereffect. He shows no signs of waking up, and … he may not ever wake up again.”

Olivia thought her heart had fallen into a perpetual abyss. Her grip on the disposable paper cup loosened, and her hands started to tremble.

Seeing her reaction, Dr. Freeman could not help but let out a sigh. “Don’t lose hope. I’m just saying that it’s a possibility. He should be fine if he wakes up by the end of this month.”

When she raised her head, Olivia’s eyes were clouded with tears. She croaked, “He’ll be in a coma if he can’t wake up, right?”

“Yes. So, I hope you’ll be prepared for this and have things planned out.” Dr. Freeman knew that it was not easy to earn money these days and that spending it on a person in comatose was not necessary.

Olivia abruptly shot up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table. “No matter what happens, I won’t give up on my father. I believe that miracles do happen.”

Then she dashed out of the office. She never thought that things would take a turn for the worse. If her father couldn’t wake up, she’d never get to hear him speak the truth. If so, she could not die just yet!

She rushed off to the oncology department. Keith had just finished diagnosing one of his patients when Olivia barged into the room.

“Keith, help me.”

Keith looked at her anxious face and her hands that tugged at his sleeve. Olivia spoke calmly and firmly as though she had found her salvation.

“Be it chemotherapy or surgery, I’ll do anything as long as I can have more time to live …”

Only by living would she have the time to find out the truth and accompany her father for a longer time.

Keith did not understand what she had been through, but as long as she had the will to live, he, as a doctor, was positively delighted. This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“Alright. I’ll arrange your first chemotherapy session right away.”